AES AGOTTVS Group Updates Preliminary Loudness Guidelines for Over-the-Top Television and Video Steaming
For Release: October 19, 2017
The Audio Engineering Society’s Audio Guidelines for Over-the-Top Television and Video Streaming (AGOTTVS) technical group has released an update to its preliminary recommendations published in October 2016. The guidelines are focused on managing the loudness and loudness range of program and interstitial content distributed over-the-top (OTT) and by online video distributors (OVD) to maintain and improve the sonic integrity and listening experience across multiple devices.
The AGOTTVS technical group was formed in early 2016 to study the many issues related to audio loudness variations in distributed video content. The 50-member group, a study group of the AES Technical Council Technical Committees TC-BOD (Broadcast and Online Delivery), announced the publication of its preliminary loudness guidelines in October 2016 at the Los Angeles AES Convention (published as a Technical Document by the AES Technical Council). The recommendations addressed the fundamental issues of audio loudness in on-line television and video content delivery, from creation through distribution to the consumer experience.
With the release of the “Preliminary Loudness Guidelines” in 2016 the AGOTTVS group raised awareness of more forthcoming, comprehensive and ongoing work and invited all interested parties to join the effort. The group subsequently increased in membership and continued its work, drafting the enhanced OTT and OVD “Loudness Guidelines” that are documented in this October 2017 release.
The group intends to continue to update its recommendations considering the transitional nature of media consumption. Future work will likely involve objective and subjective tests of DRC and loudness profiles to ascertain how metadata might be leveraged to more appropriately tailor content to devices and different listening scenarios.
“We couldn’t be happier with this year’s accomplishment,” says Jim Starzynski, Chair, AES AGOTTVS. “Our group worked tirelessly, creating succinct recommendations that build on previously established broadcast regional standards that are already familiar to much of the audio industry.”
The AGOTTVS group comprises volunteer members with expertise and/or interest in the creation, distribution and emission of professional audio. AGOTTVS membership is open to all stakeholders with a material interest in its work, regardless of AES membership status. Group participants include representatives of Amazon, Apple, BBC, CBS, Dolby, DTS, DTV Audio Group, Fox, Fraunhofer, Google, NBC Universal, Netflix, NHK, PBS, Starz and Qualcomm.
“The AES is the perfect organization to host our work, bringing together members from all over the world to share their unique experiences, expertise and passion for quality sound,” says Starzynski. “The AES Loudness Guidelines for OTT and OVD content is a set of forward-thinking, workable recommendations, that when followed, will optimize the on-line listening experience, at present, and for the future.”
